ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Biathlon fans arriving at the sport's Olympic venue on Saturday were greeted by a raucous gang of female drummers - loyal supporters of Norwegian football club Bodo/Glimt on a different kind of European adventure.
The club from inside the Arctic Circle has made huge strides in Europe in recent years, reaching the semi-finals of last season's Europa League and making it into the knockout rounds of the Champions League this season after a late-January away win at Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
Glimt take on Italians Inter Milan at home on February 18, but on Saturday the club's "Trommetrollan" drummers were at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena spreading the joy as fans arrived for the Olympic women's sprint race.
"I was at the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. That was many years ago but it was an indescribable experience, and this is just huge," band leader Tove Nymo told Reuters, adding that the fans, who were invited by the Norwegian Olympic Committee, had paid their own way to be in Italy.
With the gates opening four hours before the racing starts, biathlon fans are always desperate for some sort of entertainment, and the women from Bodo were more than happy to provide it.
Wearing a combination of Norwegian folk dress, yellow-and-black football scarves and the odd fisherman's rain hat, they posed for photos and videos in between beating out their songs.
"Bodo/Glimt had the first organised supporters' club in Norway, many people forget that. But we were there back in the 60s and 70s... The club has its great values and a good way of thinking," Nymo said, explaining their enthusiasm.
There may be no biathletes from Bodo to cheer on but Nymo and her drummers are undeterred.
"We cheer for everyone from Norway, but really we cheer for everyone who means well and shoots well," she said.
Nymo and her fellow fans are also delighted to have an opportunity to embody their club's values.
"It's continuity and culture that has built this team and of course (coach) Kjetil Knudsen and the club's leadership," she said.
As for how far the football club can go this season, Nymo echoed Knudsen, who despite his team's successes makes a point of not talking about winning or losing.
"We beat Atletico and (Manchester) City, and we hope that we can beat Inter. We hope we can go further but it's all about learning," she said.
"No matter what happens, we will learn from this. It's a fantastic thing."
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
